Policy paper
TTC Turnaround
Public transit is the backbone of the city’s transportation system. This plan makes it reliable enough to be worth choosing again — through fares that reward riding off-peak, an end to fare evasion, and a capital backlog published in full.
Toronto, September 18, 2026
The announcement
Ridership remains about 25 per cent below 2019 levels. Fare evasion costs the system up to $140 million a year, cost recovery has fallen to roughly 47 per cent, and there is a $37.3 billion gap between what the system needs and what is funded. Each of those is measurable, and each is addressed below with a number and a date.
The city will not get moving again until the TTC is once again the trusted, better way for commuters, friends, families, shoppers and visitors.
“Public transit is the backbone of our transportation system. Our city will not get moving again until we make the TTC once again the trusted, better way for commuters, friends, families, shoppers and visitors.”
What a ride would cost
Fares
The structure shifts a little of the cost onto the busiest hours and takes it off everyone else. Adult fares rise by twenty cents at rush hour on the three busiest weekdays; youth, senior and low-income fares come down. Projected to raise about $43 million a year and add two to four million riders.
| Rider | Cash | PRESTO |
|---|---|---|
| Adult — rush hour6:30–9:30 am and 3:30–7 pm, Tuesday to Thursday | $3.55 | $3.50 |
| Adult — all other timesIncluding Mondays and Fridays, evenings and weekends | $3.45 | $3.40 |
| Youth and seniorReduced by fifteen cents | — | Reduced |
| Fair Pass Transit DiscountReduced by ten cents | — | $2.00 |
| Post-secondary monthly passReduced from the current price | — | $120 |
[ Passes for occasional riders ]
- One-day weekend pass$9
- Two-day weekend pass$15
- Weekend family pass — one day$18
- Weekend family pass — two days$30
A family pass covers two adults and up to three youths. The 47-ride monthly cap is kept for every category, so nobody who rides daily pays more than a pass would cost.
What changes
Five steps
End fare evasion
Fare evasion costs the system between $125 and $140 million a year. Roughly 12 per cent of riders do not pay, against under 2 per cent historically — a gap that falls on everyone who does pay, in worse service and higher fares.
The target is 6 per cent by 2028 and below 2 per cent by 2030.
[ How ]
- A full, system-wide audit of every fare gate, with the results published within 30 days.
- Expanded fare inspector teams, including plainclothes inspection.
- An end to the children’s fare card loophole, which is widely used by adults.
Restore the reserve and review spending
Cost recovery has fallen from 65–70 per cent before the pandemic to about 47 per cent today, and the stabilisation reserve is being drawn down to cover the difference. A reserve that is spent is not a reserve.
Revenue recovered from enforcement goes back into the reserve rather than into new commitments.
[ How ]
- An independent operational review commissioned within 120 days.
- A public dashboard carrying TTC financial statements, the status of the reserve, ridership data and fare evasion trends.
Fix what is physically broken
There is a $37.3 billion gap between what the system needs and what is funded. That figure is not disputed; what is missing is a published, prioritised account of what the money would buy and in what order.
[ How ]
- Publish the unfunded capital backlog within 100 days.
- Table a prioritised ten-year state of good repair plan in the first budget.
- Create a quarterly capital project ledger, so slippage is visible as it happens rather than at the end.
- Convene mayors within 180 days on a permanent funding framework.
Make it safer, cleaner and more reliable
Ridership remains about 25 per cent below 2019 levels, and many Torontonians still avoid transit over safety rather than cost or convenience. Service that is not trusted is not used.
The target is eight in ten riders feeling safe by the end of 2028.
[ How ]
- A monthly safety scorecard, published within 60 days.
- Special constables paired with support teams rather than deployed alone.
- A cleanliness target raised to 90 per cent.
- A 48-hour graffiti resolution clock.
End inappropriate use
Alcohol, cannabis and substance use on transit would be prohibited, and harassment and assault prevented. This is a service question before it is an enforcement one: unhoused people on the system need the dignity of a bed, a meal and proper care, which a subway car cannot provide.
Press